When Societies Put Animals on Trial

The Idaho Snapping Turtle

In March 2018, a science teacher at a high school in Idaho named Robert Crosland had a truly disgusting mind. For whatever reason, he decided a good science lesson on omnivores would be feeding a sickly puppy to a large snapping turtle. Students who witnessed this say that the snapping turtle “bit the puppy in half” and that nearly everyone in the classroom was screaming, telling their teacher to stop. Students claim that Crosland frequently brought in guinea pigs and other small animals for the turtle to eat, but the puppy was one step too far.